Don't call it a 'Plodcast': City of London Police rolls out Off the Cuff podcast

May 09, 2018
by Ben Bold

City of London Police has launched what it says is the first dedicated police force podcast featuring interviews with officers on subjects as diverse as minority relations and forensics, but warns listeners not to 'call it a Plodcast'.

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The idea behind the initiative was to share some of the stories of serving officers and give listeners an "intimate and honest glimpse at the real City of London Police — our values, our identity and our people", the police force said.

The series of six interviews with officers sees individuals from City of London Police speak about their careers and opinions on policing.

The first Off the Cuff features recently retired City of London Police detective chief superintendent Paul Barnard, who reflects on his role, discusses what drew him to pursue a career in the police and what he plans to do from now on. He also reflects on his memories of the Bishopsgate bombing on the morning of 24 April 1993.

The first edition of the podcast has been uploaded to iTunes and is also available via the City of London Police's website.

Further episodes will include interviews with Tracy Alexander, director of forensic sciences, who will speak about some of the misconceptions around forensics; chief inspector Hector McKoy, who will talk about the changing public perceptions of policing within minority communities; sergeant Pete Lucas, who will explain why policing is like marriage; and police commissioner Ian Dyson, who will examine the past, present and future of policing.

Each show has been written, hosted, edited and uploaded by the City of London Police's comms team and costs nothing to produce.

The first podcast is introduced by John Ellul, head of media at City of London Police, who jokes that "if you're still listening to this after eight seconds, that's good progress."

The force says the podcast might be the first of its kind by a UK constabulary. It is inviting listeners to give feedback and make suggestions by email or Twitter, with social also being used to publicise the podcast. The first episode has gone live, with the subsequent five podcasts to be launched each week.

Last year, PRWeek reported that the City of London Police had joined forces with a number of health organisations and businesses to run a suicide prevention scheme called Release the Pressure.

The campaign was aimed predominantly at people working in the City with everyday issues such as stress, money worries, bereavement, loneliness and divorce which, if bottled up, could lead to someone reaching a crisis point.